By: Hillel Fuld (@Hilzfuld)

I have been using an iPhone for a few years now as my primary mobile device. Of course, I have a few other devices I play with throughout the day, many of them running Android but my main phone has been an iPhone since I ditched my BlackBerry.

All in all, I am a happy iPhone user, except, iOS is getting really old, really fast. Now, all hope is not lost and iOS 6, assuming Apple actually changes things up a bit, can help Apple retain me as a customer.

But just as I tell myself that I am happy with my iPhone 4S, Samsung goes and releases the Galaxy SIII, which pretty much outdoes the iPhone on every front. Well, almost every front. Android ICS is great and it is definitely a huge step forward for Android, but still, it lacks that level of polish you get in iOS. Yes, i know, customization, open, yada yada, I still prefer the UX on iOS.

Well, putting all that iOS vs Android mumbo jumbo aside, I recently made a revolutionary decision in my life. I got rid of the case that was protecting my iPhone and now I am using the iPhone in all its naked glory. Yes, I know the risks but for that one in a million chance of me dropping the iPhone, I prefer the slim body of a case-less iPhone in day-to-day usage.

Now I have dropped it a few times and so far, it lives on, but durability of mobile devices is becoming more and more crucial as these phones take a more central role in our lives.

So in addition to specs, OS, and apps, perhaps drop tests should be on your check list when choosing your next phone. Below you can see the iPhone 4S go up against its biggest competitor, the Galaxy SIII. I won’t tell you who won but I will say that neither of them performed in a way you would expect a mobile phone to survive a fall in 2012.

Enjoy.